The invention described herein relates to systems and methods for use in patient temperature control, and more specifically to devices employable for interconnecting a temperature control device such as a heating/cooling pad to a medical fluid processing apparatus.
The use of contact pad system for selectively cooling and/or heating bodily tissue is known. In such systems a fluid, (e.g. water or air), is circulated through one or more pads to affect surface to surface thermal energy exchange with a patient. One highly effective contact pad and related system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,045, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,045, the ability to establish and maintain intimate pad to patient contact is often key importance to fully realizing medical efficacies with contact pad systems.
Temperature management or thermal regulation can be viewed in two different ways. The first aspect of temperature management includes treating at normal body temperature (i.e. cooling the body for elevated temperatures or warming the body for lower temperature). The second aspect of thermal regulation is an evolving treatment that employs techniques that physically control a patient""s temperature to provide a physiological benefit, such as cooling a stroke patient to gain some degree of neuro protection.
In view of the foregoing, it may be appreciated that recognized medical applications for contact pad systems are ever increasing. By way of example, cooling pad systems may be utilized in early therapy to reduce neurological damage incurred by stroke and head trauma patients. Additional applications include selected patient heating/cooling during surgical procedure such as cardio pulmonary bypass operation.
As these and other medical applications have evolved, the present inventors have recognized the desirability of enhancing the flexibility and portability of thermal exchange fluid systems. More particularly, while heating/cooling contact pads systems have proven effective for many applications, the present inventors have recognized that additional performance and potential applications can be realized via implementation of further improved hose and connector device assemblies.
Disclosed herein is a connector for use in a patient temperature control system wherein the patient temperature system includes a medical fluid processing apparatus employable for circulating medical fluid. The connector may include a body portion configured with a plurality of fluid channels formed therethrough. The body portion may be further configured to be one of interconnected and interconnectable with at least one medical fluid processing apparatus and a patient temperature control pad through which medical fluid may be circulated. Further configured in the body portion of the connector may be an interconnection end configured to interconnect with at least one other connector employable in the patient temperature control system. Includable in the interconnection end may be at least one orientation device configured to provide for the interconnection of the connector and the at least one other connector at an orientation which provides for circulation of the medical fluid through the system in a predetermined direction.
In one configuration of the invention the connector may be configured as a female connector. The female connector may include a body portion with a plurality of fluid channels formed therethrough. Incorporated in the body portion may be a receiving end which includes openings to the fluid channels, where the receiving end is further configured to receive and fluidly seal with a male connector insertable therein. Further includable in the receiving end may be a rotatable engagement device which extends through at least a portion of the receiving end, where the rotatable engagement device is configured to pass within a portion of a male connector and upon rotation of the rotatable engagement device mechanically engage the male connector.
In one configuration of the invention, the female connector may be incorporated as part of the housing of the medical temperature control system and be in communication with one or more components included therein. Further, the receiving end may include a wall structure which surrounds a cavity within which the openings to the fluid channels are locatable. The rotational engagement device may include at least one shaft like member, portions of which extend through the walls of the wall structure. Locatable outside the wall structure may be a manipulation arm configured for rotating the shaft like member within the cavity to one or more desired rotational orientations. In yet another configuration of the invention, the shaft like member may include a cross-sectional shape of a semi-circle, wherein the profile of the shaft like member is substantially narrow at a first relative orientation and substantially wide at the second relative orientation.
The connector may be further configured as a male machine connector which may comprise a body portion through which a plurality of flow channels are formed. Incorporated in the body portion may be an insertion end configured to include openings to the fluid channels and be insertable within a portion of a female machine connector so as to establish a plurality of sealed fluid path through the male and female machine connectors. Included in the male connector may be at least one engagement portion which is configured to receive an engagement device incorporated in a female machine connector where manipulation of the engagement device provides for the mechanical connection of the male and female machine connectors.
In one configuration of the male machine connector, the engagement portion may be configured to receive a rotational engagement device wherein once the rotational engagement device is within the engagement portion, rotation of said device provides for the mechanical engagement of the connectors. In particular, the engagement portion may comprise a slot like structure which allows a portion of the rotatable engagement device to pass within the slot at a first rotational orientation and then to engage and hold the male machine connector at a second rotational orientation. This engagement portion may be positioned on the body of the male machine connector such that the male and female machine connectors are only connectable at a pre-determined relative orientation.
In yet another configuration of the male machine connector, the body portion may be further connectable to a one-piece hose section with a plurality of channels formed therethrough. Further connectable to the one piece hose section maybe an intermediate connector further configured to connect to other connectors employable within the System. The intermediate connector may comprise an intermediate female connector device configured to interconnect with one or more assemblies which include a male intermediate connector. The hose assemblies may be one of interconnected or interconnectable to a patient temperature control pad.
The intermediate connector may be further configured as a female intermediate connector which includes a body portion with a plurality of fluid channels formed therethrough wherein the body portion includes one or more receiving ends. The one or more receiving ends are specially configured to connect and fluidly seal with at least one male intermediate connector so as to provide a plurality of fluidly sealed flow paths therethrough. The intermediate female connector may be further configured to include at least one orientation device which provides for the interconnection of the intermediate female connector with a male intermediate connector at a predetermined relative orientation. In one configuration of the invention, the orientation device may be a member which extends into the receiving end of the intermediate female connector so as to incorporate a non-symmetrical feature.
Further incorporated into the body portion of the intermediate female connector may be an engagement surface configured to being engaged by an attachment device of a male intermediate connector insertable in the receiving end. The engagement surface may be configured as a ledge and/or interlocking lip structure. Also incorporated into the intermediate female connector may be at least one spring loaded valve device which is configured to provide fluid flow through the channels of the body portion upon insertion of a male connector and to dose the channel upon removal of said male intermediate connector. The valve device may include a movable plunger in contact with at least one compressible spring, wherein upon insertion of the male connector in the receiving end, the plunger is moved and the spring is compressed thereby opening the channel for fluid flow.
The plunger and spring combination may be further employable during interconnection of the male and female intermediate connectors so as to maintain the connection between the connectors. An engagement surface, in particular an interlocking lip on the male intermediate connector, may interlock with the engagement surface on female intermediate connector after insertion. In order to maintain the connection, the spring may exert an ejection forced on the male intermediate connector which maintains the connection between the interlocking lips. The body portion of the female intermediate connector may be further configured to include a plurality of the engagement surfaces, such that simultaneous manipulation of the engagement devices on the male connector is required in addition to an application of an insertion force in order to disengage the male intermediate connector from the female intermediate connector.
The connector may be further configured as an intermediate male connector which includes a body portion with a plurality of fluid channels formed therethrough. The body portion is further configured with an insertion end configured to be insertable in a female intermediate connector and to engage therewith. The male intermediate connector is further configured to be interconnected and/or interconnectable to at least one patient temperature control pad.
Further included as part of the insertion end may be at least one orientation device configured so that the male intermediate connector is insertable within the female intermediate connector at a predetermined relative orientation. In one configuration of the invention, the orientation device may be a non-symmetrical feature configured into the insertion end. More specifically, the orientation device comprises an alignment flange which extends between the fluid channels.
The male intermediate connector may be further configurable to include at least one engagement device positionable on an exterior surface of the body portion, said engagement device being manipulable to engage and disengage an engagement surface an a female intermediate connector when the insertion end is inserted in a receiving portion of the female intermediate connector. The engagement and disengagement may be through single handed manipulation.
In one configuration of the invention the engagement device may include at least one flex arm extending substantially perpendicular from the body portion, a latch arm positionable at the end of the flex arm away from the body, wherein the latch arm includes a depressible portion configured on a first end and an engagement portion configured on a second end opposite the first end. The flex arm is connectable to the latch arm in a manner such that application of a force to the first end rotates the second end and flex arm about the point of attachment of the fled arm and the body, and removal of the force returns the flex arm and latch arm to the original position.
The engagement portion of the latch arm may be configured with at least one interlocking lip, such that when the engagement portion engages a matching interlocking surface on the female intermediate connector and a force is applied to keep the interlocking lips together, the engaged structure resists lateral movement thus maintaining interconnection between connectors. In one configuration of the invention the male connector may include a plurality of the engagement devices. The engagement devices may be further configured such that simultaneous manipulation of the plurality of engagement devices is necessary in order to engage and/or disengage the connector. In particular, during disengagement of the connectors a continuous simultaneous may be applied (for example, with a thumb and finger on the same hand) until the engagement devices clear the engagement surfaces of the female intermediate connector during removal of the male intermediate connector.